Pins and Needles
by MaybeBaby1280
Summary: Cameron has a secret, and House finds out. Smut ensues! A little sneak preview for Houseketeer.


"Ahh, I love the smell of diagnostics in the morning! What do we have on the menu today?" House made his usual grand entrance into the conference room, tossing his backpack to Cameron as he reached for his coffee mug.

"Twenty-one year old Hispanic male, admitted last night with suspected case of the flu," Chase read from the chart on the table.

"The flu is boring. Next case!" House stirred his coffee then took a long swallow and waited for the caffeine to kick in. Foreman pushed the chart towards House's seat at the table.

"Nasal swab test results were negative for flu. And now he's jaundiced."

"His liver is shutting down, fast," added Cameron.

"Easy," said House as he pushed the chart back to Foreman. "Take some pictures of all his bitchin' gang tattoos, then treat him for Hepatitis."

Foreman rolled his eyes. "Just because he comes from a low-income immigrant family doesn't mean…"

"Check every inch of his body," interrupted House before making his way to his office. It definitely looked like it would be a slow day, and he seriously needed some quality Nintendo time if he was going to stay awake for much longer.

"All the cool kids are doing it! I bet even sweet little Cameron has a few extra holes than she was born with," he called over his shoulder to the team as they filed out of the conference room.

House had just unwrapped the cherry sucker and popped it in his mouth when the team walked back into the conference room.

"So what was it?" he called from his office. "Let me guess, he accidentally pierced the wrong ear, got tired of getting hit on by men in hot pants, and let the hole close up?"

"Not exactly…" Cameron blushed.

"Ever heard of a Prince Albert?" asked Foreman.

"I'm guessing you're not referring to the royalty, so that only leaves…"

"The male genital piercing, yeah," sighed Chase with a shake of his head. "The kid knows a guy who knows a guy who works at a tattoo and piercing shop. He was promised it would make him very popular with the ladies."

"Yeah, too bad now it'll always have to be hidden underneath a condom. Start him on interferon alpha, and test his girlfriend." House turned his attention back to his video game, but listened to the team's comments as they left.

"How could he be so stupid?" said Foreman accusingly. "Everybody knows you don't just get a piercing in the back of some guy's van."

"He's lucky he didn't get HIV," Chase added.

"Hey, leave the kid alone," defended Cameron. "He was just trying to be spontaneous and fun, and now he has to deal with this for the rest of his life." She sounded angry and indignant.

_A pretty strong reaction, even from Cameron, _thought House. Why would she defend the kid's severely impaired decision-making abilities?

Later that evening, House walked the short distance to the bar that had become the team's customary after-work meeting place. Ever since Wilson had accused House of pushing people away from him just to make himself miserable, he had been making an effort to spend less time alone. House would never admit it, but he now looked forward to the occasional dinner with his colleagues.

House was the last to arrive and the others were already eating. He slid into the booth next to Cameron. He noticed that she had changed out of her work outfit into a pair of hip-hugging jeans and a form fitting t-shirt; he took a brief moment to appreciate the curve of her waist before flagging down a waitress to place his order.

Foreman and Chase were in the midst of cracking yet another joke about the stupidity of shoving a piece of sharp metal into such a sensitive area, and Cameron was scowling at them. She was clearly becoming more pissed off by the minute. Her cheeks burned red, and then suddenly she mumbled something about needing to use the restroom, and practically climbed over House to get out of the booth. The guys shrugged their shoulders at her strange behavior then resumed their conversation. But House watched Cameron make her way towards the ladies room. She was flustered, and she bumped into a waiter, dropping her purse. He heard her utter a quick apology before bending over to retrieve the purse. And that's when he saw it. A flash of color on her back, just under the hem of her t-shirt.

House excused himself from the table and walked to the back of the bar. Using the handle of his cane, he knocked loudly on the ladies room door before entering, shouting "Is there a doctor in the house? Oh look, I found one!"

Cameron was standing at the sink, using a paper towel to blot water from her face. She jumped when she saw him, spun around and said "House! What are you doing? You can't come in here."

"Is there anyone else in here?"

"Well, no, not right now, but…"

"Then there's not a problem. Come on, let's get out of here." He tilted his head towards the door.

"Wh… where are we going?" stuttered Cameron, still shocked by him bursting into the women's restroom.

House closed the short distance between them, wrapped his arm around her waist and under her shirt, placing his fingers where he had seen the splash of colors. He traced a random design on the skin of her back. He thought he felt her shudder ever so slightly.

"It doesn't matter. Let's just go."

Cameron searched his eyes and saw that he understood everything. She reached her right hand around to her back, wrapped her fingers around his wrist, and pulled his hand away. As she brought her hand back to her side, she laced her fingers through his and led him out the restroom door. They wound around the other side of the bar to avoid being seen by Chase and Foreman, and walked out into the warm night air.

Cameron let House's hand drop and began walking in the direction of her apartment. It was only a few blocks, but she wondered if it would be too much for his leg. She looked down at his jeans-clad thigh.

"I'm fine," he said, as if he had read her mind. They walked in silence for about a block, simply enjoying the warm breeze and the quiet. Then Cameron looked up at House, opened her mouth like she was going to say something, then closed it again. Eventually, she spoke.

"I got it years ago. You know, after…"

"Cameron," House cut her off. "Don't explain." She nodded then looked straight ahead again. They resumed walking in silence. She was almost disappointed when they reached her apartment building. She had enjoyed his quiet, non-judgmental presence.

"House… thanks. For not asking questions."

"No problem." He sensed that she was stalling. Trying to buy a little bit more time before going inside. "You know they're bastards, right?"

"Well, so are you."

"Yeah, but on me, it's endearing." He stepped closer to her, relieved when she grinned slightly. Unable to stop himself, House again slid his hand to her back, this time pulling her towards him. Her breath caught and she looked up at him for a moment before wrapping her arms around his neck and standing on tiptoes to press her lips against his. He opened his mouth to her and slid his tongue across hers, tasting a hint of alcohol from dinner. His fingers played across her back, and he wondered what lay underneath her shirt. In the bar he had seen merely colors, for the briefest of moments. The shape was indiscernible.

Cameron finally broke the kiss and rested her head on his shoulder, nuzzling her nose into his neck. House wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly against his body, savoring the feel of her warmth. Without lifting her head, Cameron spoke into his ear.

"House. Come inside with me."

House closed her front door behind him and followed her into the living room. She dropped her purse on the couch and shot him a bold, sensual look as she walked towards her bedroom. By the time he reached her room, she was already sitting on the edge of the bed, legs crossed, leaning back on her elbows.

"I want to see it." It was more of a demand than a request.

Cameron crossed her arms over her chest and pulled the t-shirt off. Her creamy skin stood in sharp contrast to the black bra she was wearing. As House tossed his cane to the floor and limped across the room to sit beside her, she rolled over onto her stomach and brushed her hair out of the way. House stared slack-jawed for a moment at the planes and curves of her delicate back. There, along her spine, right where her waist swelled into her hips, was a stunningly beautiful tattoo. It was a phoenix, red and gold, wings spread in flight, its long tail flowing gracefully underneath. He imagined the bird must be rising to the heavens, newly reborn out of its ashes.

"God, Cameron," House sighed as he exhaled slowly. He traced the outline of the bird with his fingertips before leaning down to brush his lips across the skin there. Cameron arched her back when he darted his tongue out, eliciting a satisfied smile from him.

Cameron rolled over then and pulled him to her. They quickly removed their jeans and House's t-shirt. As House hooked his fingers in the waistband of her panties to pull them off, he noticed something on her right hip. Not a flash of color this time, but an outline of something in all black. He tossed her panties to the floor and moved in for a closer look. It was a celtic design of loops and swirls, much smaller than the phoenix, but just as detailed. The smooth rounded lines were crisply delineated on her pale skin.

"Any more tricks up your sleeve, Cameron?" asked House as he kissed this latest discovery.

"You have no idea," Cameron said with an evil grin. She sat up just enough to reach behind her back and unfasten her bra, then lay back down and tossed the bra across the room. House stopped breathing. He blatantly stared at her small, firm, round breasts, rosy pink nipples….. and her nipple rings. Two small circular pieces of jewelry, each with a tiny metal ball in the middle. One in each nipple. He couldn't decide if he should back away in horror or wrap his lips around them and start sucking. He finally chose the latter.

The metal was warm from her body heat, and he tentatively licked at first one, then the other nipple. He was apprehensive about using too much force, worried that he might hurt her. But Cameron threaded her fingers through his hair and held him tighter against her, then moaned.

"Harder. You won't hurt me."

With this encouragement, House began flicking at the rings with his tongue, then tugging with his teeth. Cameron writhed underneath him, clawing at his arms, his back, his hips. His erection was straining against his boxers, so he stopped his ministrations long enough to remove the offending garment. He dipped his head to pull her nipple back into his mouth while he settled his knees between her thighs. The rougher he was with her jewelry, the more desperate she became.

He felt her hands move between their bodies, and then suddenly she was guiding him inside her. The feeling of finally being inside Cameron made him lose control, and he inadvertently bit down on her breast. She cried out, and he stopped his movements, afraid he had hurt her. But she dug her nails into his back, wrapped her legs around his hips, and began rocking beneath him. House slid one arm under her, resting his hand on the gorgeous phoenix, and slammed into her. He licked and sucked on her nipples, toying with the rings mercilessly, until she moaned his name and arched into him hard. The sound of his name on her lips sent him over the edge, and he came inside her, hot and forceful.

House lay on his back, limbs sprawled across the bed, Cameron's body draped over his. Her head was resting on his stomach, and she placed little kisses on his belly while his hand drifted up and down her back. Over and over he touched the phoenix, a sense of awe radiating through his fingertips.

"You know," House said, "your ass is still bare. I'm thinking a big red heart with my name in it. You're mine now." His hand wandered to the area in question and squeezed.

"You're still a bastard, you know that?" Cameron said with a grin.

"Yeah, but it's endearing on me," he said as he pulled her up to straddle him.


End file.
